from the heart of my home

Hello! It has been a very long time since I have updated this site. Truthfully, I haven’t had any “new” recipes to share. However I do have one that I have adapted that I want to share.

I very distinctly remember watching “Good Morning America” and they were sharing the winning apple pie recipe from a contest they had been running. I wasn’t sure how long ago this was, but I was unable to get online to print the recipe. I called my dad and he printed it and emailed it to me. I still have that email and it was dated November 8, 2001!

I made this for Thanksgiving that year and it became my favorite apple pie recipe. That says a lot as I don’t really like apple pie. I love apples, I love pie; just don’t love them combined. Weird!

The original recipe called for pecan pieces. I rather like walnuts better. I also adapted the recipe to more closely resemble the apple pie recipe my mother always made. I am wondering what this would taste like with some Craisins in it too. Hmmmm…..

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

(original recipe by Marsha Brooks, 2001)

Pie Filling:

1 unbaked pastry crust for 9″ deep dish pie

1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar (depends on how sweet your apples are)

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples

1 recipe of Crumb Topping (see below)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

1/4 cup caramel topping (like ice cream topping)

Crumb Topping:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash salt

1/2 cup butter

Directions:

Make the crumb topping: stir together oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter until it is like coarse crumbs. Set aside

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the apple slices and gently toss to coat.

Heat oven to 350. Mix butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt until dough is well blended. Spread in a greased 9×13 baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned. Crust will still be soft. Remove from oven and immediately place squares of chocolate candy bar on top. Let stand until soft; spread evenly over entire surface. Sprinkle with nuts if desired. Cut in small squares while still warm.

Mix oil, chocolate and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to oil mixture. Chill several hours or overnight.

This is a yummy combination of some of my favorite foods. This is comfort food to the max! You don’t want to fix this and forget it as this has a pretty short cooktime, for a crockpot meal.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 cup Velveeta cubed

1 pound diced ham

1 tsp onion powder

2 cups uncooked mini pasta shells

It is very important that you spray the liner of the crockpot liberally with cooking spray. Trust me on this, otherwise, your meal will stick to the edges and be rather disappointing.

Add the above ingredients into the crockpot. Set the crockpot on the lowest setting and cook for 2 hours. Cooking any longer than this will basically make the pasta fall apart. I chose to add about a cup of cooked leftover broccoli pieces right before serving. This is totally optional.

One of my favorite autumn side dishes is fried apples. My mother used to make this. It is a very simple recipe, but oh so yummy.

The number of apples you use is determined by how many you want to serve! I slice up one medium apple per person. I recommend a good cooking apple such as granny smith or macintosh. They hold their shape and are very flavorful. I usually peel the apples, but it isn’t necessary.

After peeling and slicing the number of apples you want, set them aside for a minute. In a saute pan or skillet, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter. Once this is melted, add the apple slices. Make sure you turn your burner down to medium or medium-high. Stir the slices around once in awhile. The apples will cook down in volume as they soften. It is up to your personal preference how crunchy or soft you want the apples to be. At the very end, sprinkle on some cinnamon and sugar to your taste.

I prefer to serve them warm, but it is pretty good when it is cooled in the refrigerator too. It is really hard to mess up a recipe like this. Just remember to keep your eyes on the apples while they are cooking. They are done pretty quickly.

I’ve seen this recipe called many different things. This is the title on the recipe card that I found stuck in a library book many years ago. It is a great recipe to take to a picnic as it has no mayonnaise, eggs or milk in it so it is safe in the heat. I suggest that you not mix the dressing and the salad together just before you are ready to serve it.

Crunchy Salad

Serves 12

1 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

2 packages chicken flavored Ramen noodles

1 pound bag cole slaw mix

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 bunch green onions — chopped

Mix together oil, sugar, vinegar and flavor packets from Ramen noodles and chill for 24 hours.

Just before serving, toss together the remaining ingredients as well as the crushed Ramen noodles. Pour dressing over and mix before serving.

Bake a Devil’s Food chocolate cake in a 9×13 pan as directed on the package. Set it aside to cool.

Shake 5 Tablespoons of flour and 1 1/4 cup milk until well blended (just use a cup with a lid)

Cook this, stirring contantly until thick. Let this cool.

Cream 1 stick of butter or margarine, 1 cup Crisco (must use this brand, it makes a difference in the taste), and 1 cup of sugar with a mixer. Add the cooled flour mixture to this and beat it well. I would beat this for about 10 minutes. Spread over the cooled cake.